Japan's Creative, Ephemeral Homes
Buyers value new, highly personalized houses?forget resales. This model has one happy side-effect: a flourishing of some of the world?s most wonderfully bizarre architecture.

Microsoft Opens Flagship Store on Fifth Avenue
Microsoft will step onto one of the world?s biggest retail stages Monday when it opens its Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan as part of its strategy to boost direct contact with consumers.

Red Berries Are Coming Back to New Jersey
In a sign of the changing beverage market, a longtime plant and distribution facility of juice maker Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc. will soon be home to the company Bai Brands, which produces drinks made from the coffee fruit.

A House Made for a Sailor
The Kroeses are selling their waterside home in Westbrook, Conn., designed to complement lives spent largely on sailboats. The nautically themed home is on the market for $1.975 million.

In Franklin Lakes, People Tend to Stay Awhile
The affluent New Jersey community, population 10,600, is about 25 miles from Manhattan. Residents are drawn by its well-regarded public schools, relatively low property taxes and bucolic atmosphere.

NYC Council Stops Midtown Tower Construction
Work on an 800-foot-tall tower in East Midtown that has been under construction for six months was halted last week following a vote by the New York City Council to limit skyscrapers in the area,.

Malls Never Wanted Gyms. Now They Court Them
Mall owners long treated gyms, massage parlors, and billiards halls as unwanted tenants that attracted lower-rent visitors who were unlikely to shop. Now they?re giving health clubs some of their best real estate.